Americas, testing American English. Together these exams
have become gatekeepers. Unless you have a passport from
the UK, Canada, New Zealand, the US or Ireland, you have
to pass one when you apply to live or study here. This causes
some degree of frustration among first-language English
speakers from India and Africa. Not only are they asked to
prove they can speak their first language, but tests also don’t
come cheap. To take one IELTS exam, you have to shell out
around $330. This also means the demand for exam-training
classes is high among international students.
Once you have taken the test, your scores across the skills
of listening, reading, writing and speaking are averaged to
reveal your level of English proficiency. In Australia, however,
you need at least a six in each skill (not just an average of six:
so it’s not enough to to have a high proficiency in speaking
but low literacy skills) for the skilled migrant visa. If you
are sponsored by an employer, the score drops to at least a
five in each skill. Universities need at least a six average for
most undergraduate and postgraduate courses, though entry
requirements vary by institution. Generally, journalism and
education have the highest score requirements (sometimes
an eight), with subjects like accounting, economics and
engineering needing a six-and-a -half or thereabouts.
So, what characterises a person with a score of five or
six? If my listening skills can drop to a seven with one
lapse of concentration, how about those for whom a more
prosperous future might depend on the outcome of the
test? Unfortunately, language skills are difficult to quantify.
As a multilingual friend once told me, “Language is like a
wild beast. Sometimes you ride it, sometimes it rides you.”
Learners have unique strategies for making the ride as
comfortable as possible. Some might tackle reading and
grammar like they would mathematical equations, but
clam up when it comes to speaking – the new sounds and
spontaneity of verbal expression being a huge leap to take.
Others can understand almost everything said to them, and
aren’t shy about chatting with strangers, but can barely write
an email to save their lives. An introvert can have the same
score as an extrovert who gives the appearance of being much
more comfortable with the language.
I often wonder how well native speakers would fare if they
were to take one of these tests unprepared. Probably not well.
They test language skills, of course, but the very nature
of exams is that they also test how well you can perform
under exam conditions. In the tests designed for university
entrance, the reading texts are often too dry and irrelevant
(concerning, for example, photosynthesis of deciduous
trees in northwestern Saskatchewan) to comprehend, even
for me. And the speaking-skills test calls on candidates to
form opinions on the spot. While you can talk around the
topic – showing off your ability to express why you don’t
have much of an opinion on it – it’s still intimidating to
be put in that position. Imagine an Australian teenager:
“Like, it’s just like, you know, about community ’n’ stuff...”
(Displays a lack of range in vocabulary – a five.)
On the other hand, universities have often been criticised
(usually from within) for setting the bar too low for their
language requirements. Although number-crunching subjects
don’t demand the language facility of the humanities,
group work is still compulsory in most courses, and many
international students flounder in these situations. Similarly
with medicine and nursing, the ability to listen and speak –
providing the cultural standard of bedside manner – is crucial.
Students without very strong language skills can sometimes
fall short.
When I take the exam with the students, I realise how lucky I
am not to be tested in this manner to improve my own situation
in life. When English speakers learn another language, they
rarely do so out of necessity. But for millions of other people,
it’s a chore, and another hoop to jump through. A simple
number can either make or break them.
» Sam Rodgers lives in Sydney and writes about travel, identity,
and alternative Latin American music. Follow him on Twitter
@anoddgeography.
THeBigissue5–18JuL2013 19
Example of a ‘Use of English’ question from a Cambridge
English Language Assessment exam.
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the
first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given.
You must use between three and six words, including the word given.
Unless the weather improves, they will have to stop the tennis match.
MEAN
If the weather doesn’t get.......................stopping the tennis match.
It’s possible that the thieves entered the building by forcing a window
at the back.
BROKEN
The thieves may....................the building through a window at the back.
ILLUSTRATIONbyEIRIANCHAPMAN;EIRIANCHAPMAN.COM